Meridia Litigation
Meridia is an orally administered prescription medication for the treatment of obesity. The FDA approved Meridia in November, 1997 and the medication was introduced to the U.S. market in 1998. Meridia is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories whose corporate offices are based in Chicago, Illinois. Global sales of Meridia have approached $200 million in previous years.
In March, 2002, the Italian Health Ministry suspended Meridia sales after receiving 50 reports of adverse reactions to the drug, including 2 deaths. On March 19, 2002, consumer advocacy group Public Citizen filed a petition with the FDA requesting Meridia be recalled from the market. In their petition, Public Citizen described Meridia as "unacceptably dangerous" and cited 397 serious adverse reactions which had been reported to the FDA. Of those reactions, 152 persons required hospitalization and 29 patients died.
In late November, 2009, the FDA notified healthcare professionals that it was in the process of reviewing preliminary data from a recent Meridia study. This data suggested that patients using Meridia were experiencing a higher number of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest or death, than patients using a placebo (sugar pill). You may read this FDA Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review here.
Health Problems Associated with Meridia
If you or a loved one has used Meridia and suffered any side effects, please contact attorney Kim Wilson for a free, confidential evaluation.
Side effects can include:
Heart Attack
Stroke
Cardiac Arrest
Death
